


Too Close for Comfort

by valis2



Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, M/M, existing relationship, h/c
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-22
Updated: 2008-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-07 22:38:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/69963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valis2/pseuds/valis2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Cody knew they'd been in worse situations, but right at the moment, kneeling on a cement floor in an unknown location, wearing nothing but briefs, his hands tied behind his back with a rough cord, he couldn't think of any.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to for putting up with reading endless updates of this fic, for being an awesome source of positivity, and also for a word modification that worked so much better than what I originally had written. Tiffany is an OFC from an earlier fic called the Pact on the Island, but it isn't necessary to have read it for this.  
> **Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. I make no money from this work of fiction.  
> **Warnings**: Handjobs

Cody knelt on the cold floor, shivering. The taste of chloroform still lingered in his mouth, and he blinked his eyes, trying to clear his head. He glanced briefly in Nick's direction, and felt a gun barrel against the back of his neck. "Face forward," said a gruff voice.

Being woken by Nick's shout in the middle of the night had been the only warning he'd had before he'd been held down to the bed, a rag steeped in the drug held over his face. He'd only had time enough to register that their kidnappers were wearing ski masks.

He shivered again. He knew they'd been in worse situations, but right at the moment, kneeling on a cement floor in an unknown location, wearing nothing but briefs, his hands tied behind his back with a rough cord, he couldn't think of any. He shifted, trying to ease the burning in his thighs.

Somewhere behind them he heard a door creak, and he felt a slight breeze against his back. He heard footsteps, and fought the urge to turn and look.

"Gentleman," said a crisp voice. "You must be the detectives." An older man dressed in dark casual clothes walked into view.

The barrel of the gun pressed even harder. "Yes, sir," said Cody, and the gun withdrew slightly.

"I hear that you're investigating a disappearance." The man smiled, and put his hands in the pockets of his black windbreaker.

Cody hesitated and the gun prodded him again. "Yes, sir."

"Of a young man."

"Yes, sir."

"Aw, c'mon, just say it," said Nick heatedly. "You know who we're looking for."

Cody sent a glare Nick's way. _Don't antagonize him._ "Don't mind him, sir, he's just woken up on the wrong side of the concrete floor today."

"Be respectful to Mr. Alvarez," hissed the thug behind Nick, tapping him with his gun.

Alvarez. Cody's mind whirled and suddenly connected the dots, and the butterfly in his stomach turned into a whole flock. _Diego Alvarez, one of the biggest dealers in the state._ He chanced another look at Nick, whose face clearly showed that he was at stage one on the Nick Anger Scale. _Damn._

Alvarez turned to Nick. "Hot blood running in your veins, eh?" His smile grew wider. "That's a good thing to have. As long as it stays inside." He poked him in the chest, and then turned back to Cody. "This man...did you find him?"

"No, sir," said Cody, trying to keep his best helpful look on his face.

"But you had leads."

"Yes, sir," said Cody.

"Your investigation...it was begun by someone close to him?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" said Nick. "You know the sister hired us. And now we know what happened to her brother. You killed him. What happened? Did he try to cut into—" Nick grunted in pain and doubled over as his guard planted the stock of his rifle firmly into his gut.

_Stage two already._ Cody fixed Alvarez with his best earnest look. "Listen, we'll just drop the case. We'll tell her we didn't turn up anything."

"I like you, Mr. Allen," said Alvarez. "You're reasonable." He turned his back to them and stood still, as if weighing the offer.

Cody glanced at Nick, but didn't like what he saw. Nick looked murderous, and stage three was too near for Cody's comfort. He did not want to see the outcome of Nick charging Alvarez like a crazed bull. A vision of Consuela Morales appeared his mind for a moment, her face streaked with tears, and he knew that Nick was thinking the same thing. _Damnit, Nick, we just need to get out of this building alive. I'll promise anything. Promises made to drug dealers threatening our lives always have a bit of wiggle room..._

The door opened and closed behind them, and Cody almost looked, but the gun barrel was still firmly pressed into the back of his neck. Another man entered and spoke quietly. Cody knew only a little Spanish, but it sounded like Alvarez had an important phone call that he couldn't miss.

"We will finish this discussion later," said Alvarez. He looked up at the thugs behind them and nodded.

The gun was now pushed into his back, and he got to his feet, his knees burning. Cody winced as he watched Nick's guard strike him again with the rifle, then grab one arm and haul him up off the floor.

Cody's feet felt like blocks of ice, and he tried to flex his toes as they were led out of the room and into a hallway. Everything was painted grey, and the doors at the end of the hallway were open, showing a warehouse space with crates. Cody's guard opened a windowless door on the right hand side and shoved him into the room unceremoniously. Nick was thrown in and landed on his side. The door slammed shut, and Cody heard the sound of a bolt being driven home.

"No windows," Cody said, looking around. The ceiling was high and a single light bulb illuminated the room.

Nick slowly sat up, wincing. "Bring your arms over here," he said.

"Just my arms?"

"I'll try to untie you."

Cody sat down with his back to Nick's, and shuffled a little closer, until he felt Nick's hand on his arm. He tried to relax his arms and wrists to give Nick the most slack possible. "Consuela will try to call us..." he murmured.

Nick was quiet for a moment, but then slapped at something with his foot. "Think I see a bug," he said. "Crawly bastards."

_Great. Not only is it cold as hell in here, but it's bugged, too. So much for making obvious plans._ "Well, you know what they say about bugs. Most successful thing on the planet. Now, bears, they've got the market cornered on honey..."

Nick was quiet, and Cody could almost hear him figuratively scratching his head. His fingers were hard at work between them, cold against Cody's forearms.

"Bears always bring their _cub_ up right," said Cody. "Goes straight for the honey, y'know?" _Please let him figure out I'm talking about Murray._

There was another pause. Nick's fingers stilled on the rope, and then they began working feverishly at the knot. "But if the cub doesn't know where the honey is..."

"Oh, they always figure it out," said Cody, trying to sound casual.

Nick made a noise in response, which meant that he was concentrating. Then he swore and dropped his hands away. "Those assholes must have been boy scouts," he growled.

"Let me try," said Cody. Nick stiffened, and Cody grabbed the ropes around his wrists with his fingertips before he pulled away. They were damp, and Cody peered over his shoulder to see that it wasn't water. _Oh, damn you, Nick, do you always have to do things full tilt?_ He found the knot and was frustrated nearly immediately; his fingers were too cold.

"Don't bother," said Nick, sounding tired. His hand brushed against Cody's, comforting, and then he tapped twice on Cody's thumb.

Cody immediately looked left, and noticed the bloodstain on the wall. Nick tilted his head up, and Cody followed suit, noticing the listening device tucked into the corner, along with the end of a power cord, which came out of the wall. _What are you thinking, Nick? Even if we somehow got our hands free, we couldn't reach it. And what the hell would we do with it, anyway? It's probably not long enough to electrocute—_ Nick made an exasperated noise, leaning closer, and tilted his head further to the left.

An open duct, halfway up the wall. One of them could get in, with a boost from the other. Cody immediately understood Nick's plan.

Cody turned to look at him and shook his head vehemently. _I'm not leaving you._

Nick raised an eyebrow. _It's the only way out._

Cody shook his head again. _No._

Nick looked like he was going to argue, but then sighed and nodded.

"So...do you think that a bear on the honey trail will get distracted if he sees a girl bear?" Cody tried to keep his tone light.

"If he's smart, he'll keep her far from the honey," snorted Nick. "Give her the whole stash, and she'll head for the hills first chance she gets. Give her a little taste, every so often, and she'll stick around."

_Yeah, I hope Murray stashes Consuela somewhere safe, too._ Cody drew his feet up, sitting cross-legged, hoping to warm them. He gently touched Nick's arm, caressing, and Nick scooted closer until their sides touched. He could feel Nick's arm flexing as he still worked at the ropes.

Cody turned his thoughts to Alvarez. Why keep them alive? What was Alvarez trying to find out? Good thing Murray was in Pasadena with his girlfriend Tiffany tonight, or he'd probably be there with him.

Nick looked intense as he struggled against the ropes. Normally Cody would have welcomed a nearly-naked Nick with bound hands, but sadly, the situation was damned unsexy. He pressed closer, until they were touching thighs.

"One of these days I'm going to learn to hide a Swiss army knife in my underwear," said Nick.

"I don't know, Nick, sounds uncomfortable." Cody rubbed his shoulder affectionately against Nick.

"Yeah, well—"

The door swung open, and their guards from earlier entered. "Up," said one, gesturing with his gun.

Cody leaned forward on his knees and got up, his legs groaning in protest. Nick took longer, a grimace on his face.

"Move it," said the other thug, walking around behind them and pushing Nick.

"Too bad finishing school didn't pan out," said Nick. The thug hit him again and he stumbled.

"Hey, lay off," said Cody. His guard kicked him in the back of the leg and Cody nearly went down.

"Move it!" repeated the thug.

Cody limped back down the hallway and the gun in his back directed him to turn into yet another room. Alvarez was waiting for them, leaning against a desk with a bottle of beer in hand, a younger man standing next to him.

They were forced to kneel again. _At least it's carpeted._

"My apologies for the interruption," said Alvarez, taking a long sip from his beer. "You must understand that I am a very busy man."

"Yes, sir, of course," said Cody.

"When we last spoke, you mentioned a lead."

"Yes, sir."

"I would like to know how you found this lead." Alvarez fixed him with a steady eye.

Cody's mind raced. "As private investigators, we use a lot of different—"

"Don't stall," said Alvarez, cutting him off with a sharp gesture. "Just tell me. How did you know where to look for Julio?"

Nick looked at him, his eyes flashing a warning. But Alvarez's eyes flashed an even more painful warning. "Phone records," said Cody.

"Phone records?" said Alvarez, looking troubled. He turned to the man next to him. "Domingo?"

"Not possible," said Domingo. "Julio has a new line. Untraceable. The records cannot be retrieved so easy."

Cody didn't even have to look at Nick to see stage one; he swore he could feel it. _C'mon, Nick, you know I wouldn't sell out the Boz for our lives. We just need to get out of this situation and regroup._

"You are telling the truth?" said Alvarez. Cody nodded. "Domingo, I have told you I don't trust these phones. Here is the proof." Alvarez took another sip of beer.

Domingo looked frustrated. "Mr. Alvarez, these men must be lying. This is not possible, what they say."

"These men found Julio. These...undisciplined, sloppy private investigators found him. This should not have happened."

"Look, uh, sir, we might not wear suits, but we're not sloppy," said Cody, stung.

"If they found Julio, anyone can find him. This is what I have been warning you, Domingo."

"Mr. Alvarez," said Domingo, looking flushed. "I tell you, this is a lie."

"I don't think they are lying," said Alvarez. In one swift motion, he broke the beer bottle in his hand against the edge of the desk, and Cody barely had time to take in a choked breath before Alvarez grabbed a handful of his hair and held the bottle against his neck. "Tell me, Mr. Ryder...does he speak the truth?"

There was a pause, and Cody felt the razor-sharp edge of glass dig into his neck. He held his breath.

"Yeah," said Nick. Another pause. "Yes! He's telling the truth."

Cody heard Nick grunt as another blow hit home. The bottle was suddenly gone, and he gasped, taking in air. He could feel blood trickling down his neck.

Nick's guard stood over him, holding his weapon threateningly. "You need to learn respect."

"Respect is earned, not learned," muttered Nick, and Cody winced as the guard struck him again.

"Were I a younger man, Mr. Ryder, I would take such pleasure in breaking you," said Alvarez, grabbing Nick's hair and jerking his head up. "I could make a man spit on his own mother and call her whore." He smiled at Nick. "These days, I do not care so much for the breaking. I only care for the business. But do not think me soft. I could gut your man and let you watch him die slowly, and it would take only a moment of my time, and a locked room, both of which I can spare tonight, if I must."

Cody could feel his legs trembling. The scratch on his neck burned and the smell of beer was turning his stomach. _Please, Nick, this guy isn't kidding._

Alvarez let go of Nick's hair. "Take them to the edge of King Harbor and drop them."

Cody's heart froze in terror. _Drop us? Is that code for killing us?_

Domingo nodded curtly.

"I want you to look into this phone situation personally," said Alvarez, looking into Domingo's eyes. "Fix it."

"Yes, Mr. Alvarez," said Domingo. He motioned to the two guards, and Cody was guided up again by the barrel of the gun against his ribs.

"Mr. Allen, Mr. Ryder," said Alvarez. "I am letting you leave with your lives. I trust that, in return, you will drop the case. I am not a forgiving man, and should you cross me again, there will be consequences." He dismissed them with a curt wave.

The guard behind him grabbed his arm, and half-dragged him to the door. Nick wasn't far behind. They were marched back through the hallway and a pair of doors to a waiting car, Domingo maintaining a stream of Spanish into a small walkie-talkie the entire distance.

The trunk was open, and both guards grabbed Nick and forced him into it. Cody tried to shout but Domingo punched him in the gut, and all of the air in his lungs went out with a whoosh. The two thugs grabbed him and shoved him into the trunk as well. The lid shut with a loud bang, crushing Nick's knee against Cody's thigh, and Nick swore. Cody concentrated on trying to catch his breath.

"You okay?" said Nick.

"Yeah." Cody shifted in the tight space.

"Ow—Cody, watch out."

"Sorry." Cody wriggled again, trying to get Nick's knee off his thigh, but it was no use. They were sandwiched too tightly in the trunk.

"Your—can you move your leg—" Nick's voice sounded pained.

"I'll try." Nick's leg suddenly pushed in hard behind his thigh instead of on top of it, which wasn't exactly comfortable. "Ow, damnit—"

Nick hissed in pain. "Look, he slammed the lid on my knee—"

"Sorry. There's just nowhere for me to go, Nick." Their wrists were still tied behind their backs, and Cody's arm was cramping. He tried to shift his knees forward, but that meant he had to move his torso back a little.

"Urgh—no, just stop moving. Forget I said anything."

Cody could feel Nick's ribcage expanding and contracting against his arms. His right hand was against the elastic waistband of Nick's briefs.

The car went over a bump and Nick made a pained noise. They were both quiet for awhile, Nick's warm breath gusting over his neck. "Don't know why they didn't just kill us there," he said finally.

Cody tried to move forward again. "I don't think they were planning to kill us. They wanted to find the source of a leak, not bring more police attention on themselves."

Nick grunted in reply. The car bounced over a few more potholes, and then braked suddenly, which pushed Cody into Nick again, and he swore under his breath.

The trunk opened, and hands reached for Cody. Domingo stood, a Glock trained on them, as Cody was pulled out of the trunk and dropped onto gravel. He could hear the ocean. _Must be one of the public beaches._ His legs shaking, he had just managed to get to his feet when they flung Nick bodily to the ground.

"Learn some respect," said one of the thugs to Nick. They got in the car, and Domingo backed away, gun still trained on them, until he also got in. They drove off, taillights disappearing quickly in the gloom.

Cody exhaled weakly, dropping to his knees.

"Think I can cut the ropes with one of the rocks," said Nick. The half moon shed a silvery light on his skin.

"Or the edge of that sign, maybe," said Cody, looking across the parking lot. "I think we're on Hermosa Beach." Nick only grunted in reply.

The waves crashed on the shore, and Cody shivered. It was barely before dawn, and they were still only in their underwear. "There's a payphone next to the sign," said Cody. "Do you know Tiffany's number?"

"Nope."

"We could call the Roboz..."

"Unless you've been hiding dimes in your underwear, it'd have to be collect. And, sharp as the Roboz is, I doubt he can accept a collect call."

"Oh. Yeah. Well, we could call a cab."

"Know any cab company that takes collect calls?"

"Damn." Normally he'd suggest walking it; after all, they were only four or five miles away. Without shoes, though, he wasn't so sure. Plus, he was so cold he could barely feel his toes. "Maybe there's loose change in the gravel underneath the phone."

Nick made a noise that meant he was also rolling his eyes.

"It's better than nothing."

"Got it," said Nick, bringing his arms forward and sitting up. Closing his eyes, he made a pained face as he tried to stretch them out. "C'mere."

Cody sat down in front of him and Nick went to work with the sharp rock, cutting through quickly. The rope fell away from his wrists, and he moved his arms slowly, flexing his fingers and stretching his shoulders carefully. His muscles cramped and he felt the burn down to his joints. The wind from the ocean picked up, and he shivered and got up, still swinging his arms slowly.

The gravel was cold and sharp under his feet as he crossed the parking lot to the payphone. In the dim light of the half moon he began to sift through the loose rocks with numb fingers. Sure enough, he encountered a few sandy coins, no doubt dropped by people who couldn't be bothered to try to find them. His hands took some effort to coordinate, but he managed to pick up a few dimes. Popping the coins in the slot, he called a cab.

Nick was where he'd left him, head in hands, feet splayed out in front of him, and Cody picked his way across the gravel and helped him up. "C'mon, partner, the cab will be here any minute."

"He might turn around and leave when he sees us in our underwear," said Nick, sounding tired.

"We'll just have to take that chance. Otherwise we'll have to walk it. Or call Straightaway. I don't think he'd be pleased at a call at five AM, though."

"No sense of adventure." Nick leaned on him, a little more than he usually would, and Cody tried not to worry too much about it. Once he got Nick back on the boat, he'd be able to run his hands over every bruise and cut and take care of him. Out here, though, he just needed to get him out of the situation as soon as he could.

"Think I see headlights," said Cody, urging him forward.

The cab pulled up, and the cabbie barely raised an eyebrow at them as they got in. "Pier 56, slip 7," said Cody. Nick leaned against him, shivering. "And can you turn the heat up?"

As they pulled up to the gate, Cody breathed a prayer of thanks that the padlock for the gate was a combination and not a key-driven lock. "Look, I don't have any cash on me," said Cody to the driver, who nodded wearily. "My partner will sit here and wait while I go get the money. You can keep the meter running."

The driver grunted his approval, and Cody opened the door, wincing at the cold. His feet felt like they were full of stabbing pins. Unlocking the gate was awkward, but eventually he got the combination right, and he limped down the companionway to the _Riptide_ and pulled a twenty out of the cigar box. On his way back out he grabbed two of his bathrobes and slipped one on. It felt heavenly warm.

"Here," he said, giving the cabbie the money through the window. "C'mon, Nick." Nick was halfway out of the cab, grimacing, and Cody pulled the robe around his partner. He closed the door and the cabbie took off, no doubt adding the story of picking up two grown men in their underwear with rope burns on their wrists to a long list of even more lurid stories.

The walk back down the companionway was slower. Nick leaned heavily on Cody and favored his right leg. As soon as they were in the wheelhouse Cody closed the doors and locked them.

Nick had already disappeared below, and Cody made a beeline for the list of phone numbers taped next to the phone. At the bottom in pink was Tiffany's number. He dialed.

After the fifth ring, Tiffany answered, sounding half-asleep and baffled. "Hello?"

"Hi, Tiffany," answered Cody. "Listen, I'm really sorry to bother you, but we have a situation here. Is Murray still there?"

There was a long pause. "Boz, 's for you," said Tiffany, and Cody heard mumbling in the background. "'S one of your partners."

"Hello?" asked Murray, sounding worried.

"Hey, Murray, it's Cody." He took a deep breath. "Look, we've run into some problems with the case. It's probably in everyone's best interest if you come back to the _Riptide_ as soon as you can."

"Problems?" said Murray, sounding alert. "I'll be right there. Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, we're both okay," said Cody. "I just think that it would be a good idea if you come back soon."

"I'll be right there. Bye, Cody. Tiffany, I'm so sorry, we won't be able to have breakfast—" The phone clicked.

Cody hung up and went to find Nick, who was leaning against the wall in the hallway, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Up for a shower?" asked Cody. He wanted to get warm again, and wash away the smell of beer.

Nick looked up, and nodded. Pulling off their bathrobes and underwear, they made their way to the head, and Cody turned the water to lukewarm and pushed Nick into the shower first. He got in behind him, putting his arms around him, feeling Nick trembling under his hands.

The water was far from hot, but to his frozen feet and hands it felt like it was boiling.

Here in the shower, far from prying eyes, he could relax, he could let his guard down and be with Nick the way he liked. He turned up the temperature slightly, and ran his hands over Nick's chest, feeling the slide of water on skin. He pressed a kiss against his neck.

A shudder ran through his body as he allowed himself to think of how close they'd come to disaster. _This could all have ended with something a lot less pleasant than a shower._

Nick turned around awkwardly in the tiny space until he was face-to-face with him. "Cody," he said wearily, and put his head down on Cody's shoulder.

"I got you, buddy, just relax." He dialed the temperature higher and then tightened his grip. Nick murmured something unintelligible, and Cody kissed him on the temple, stroking his back. "We're home now."

Nick sighed, and Cody turned up the temperature again. The room began to fill with steam. He flexed his toes; they nearly felt warm.

He held Nick until the warm water ran out, and he turned it off. "Gotta get out now," he murmured into Nick's ear. Nick nodded and rubbed his eyes as Cody stepped out of the shower and handed him a towel.

He felt better, except for his leg, which ached where he'd been kicked and where Nick's knee had been wedged against it. He toweled off efficiently, mentally calculating how long it would take Murray to drive down from Pasadena. Hopefully he'd have enough time to get Nick into bed and asleep before Murray showed.

Turning to look at Nick, he noticed how stiffly he was moving, and that there was blood trickling down his leg from his knee. Grabbing the towel from him, he finished drying him off, then led him to the bedroom. "Lie down," he said quietly. "I'll get the first aid kit."

"Love it when you talk dirty," mumbled Nick, but he got into his bed without further comment.

Cody put on his bathrobe and came back into the room. Nick was naked on the bed, normally a sight he relished, but right now he had to focus on making certain that he shouldn't be taking him to Marina Medical Center. Darkening bruises were spread across his abdomen and thigh. His knee was swollen, and a small half-circle cut bled sluggishly.

Cody carefully checked all of the bruises to his torso and was relieved not to feel any unusual swelling. No cracked ribs. The bruise on his thigh was clearly painful, but nothing worse than that. His knee was the worst of it, but after a brief examination Cody couldn't see anything more serious than the bruising and swelling. He cleaned out the cut and put gauze on it. Nick's wrists were raw and scraped, still bleeding here and there, and Cody cleaned them and then wrapped them in bandages, gently squeezing his hand when he was done.

He went to the kitchen, grabbing a bag of frozen peas from the freezer and wrapping them in a hand towel. Still no sign of Murray. He poured a glass of water and grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen pills. Back in the bedroom, he helped Nick sit up and made him take two of the pills, then let him lie back down, laying the bag on his knee. Nick hissed.

"Sorry, buddy, got to bring the swelling down." Cody pulled the covers up, and then added an extra blanket. He sat down on the bed. "Murray'll be here soon. I'll let him know what's going on. You just try to sleep." Nick nodded and didn't argue, which meant that he really was hurting. Cody gently stroked his arm, watching as Nick's eyelids slid shut.

He turned off the light, lingering next to the bed, fretting for a moment until Nick's breathing slowly evened out. He made his way out of their room, closing the door silently behind him.

The salon felt empty without Nick. Cody put a pot of coffee on to brew and then sat down at the bench seat. The faint blush of dawn filtered in through the blinds, and he yawned, rubbing his eyes.

The boat rocked slightly, and he heard the wheelhouse door open and close. Murray raced the steps. "Cody, what's going on? What happened?" he said.

"Shh!" said Cody. "Nick's sleeping."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said Murray, instantly looking contrite. "Is everything okay? I got here as quickly as I could."

"Nick and I were kidnapped earlier—"

"Kidnapped?" said Murray, looking concerned. He sat down on the bench seat. "How? Why?"

"Some thugs came in the middle of the night and drugged us. They took us to the warehouse of a drug dealer named Diego Alvarez," said Cody, feeling a chill pass through him. "Alvarez wanted to know why we were following Julio."

"But—oh, Julio, the guy we were tracking? Who might have killed Hector Morales?"

"Yeah. We found out that Julio works for Alvarez. I have a feeling that Hector was working for Alvarez as well, and screwed up, and Julio was sent to kill him. Alvarez wanted to know how we found Julio—"

"The phone call to Hector that I traced?"

Cody nodded. "He and his second-in-command were pretty surprised that we tracked them from it."

"Well, of course they would be surprised," said Murray, adjusting his glasses. "It's state-of-the-art technology! Even the police couldn't have done that. I'll just have to work on the tracing program a little further...expand the parameters...I'm sure we can use it to track them and put them in jail."

"Uh...wait a minute, Murray...are you suggesting we take down Alvarez?" said Cody in disbelief.

"Of course! He's a drug dealer, isn't he?"

"Murray, he's one of the most powerful drug dealers in the state." Cody fixed him with what he hoped was a sobering look. "Look, what we need to do is tell our _client_ what happened to her brother, and keep her safe. If we start going after this guy..." He shuddered. "Murray, he's not a nice guy. He will take us out. He's already threatened to kill us if we continue investigating."

"So that's it?" said Murray, gesturing with his hands. "We're just going to give up? Let this guy get away? That isn't the Cody Allen I know. The Cody Allen I know would go after this guy and have him put in jail. This is absurd! We have a chance to take down—"

"Murray, Murray, calm down—"

"What's going on?" said Nick, standing at the bottom of the steps. He looked blearily at both of them, and Cody's heart squeezed to see the lines of pain on his face.

"Nothing, Nick, I'm just updating Murray on the case. Go back to bed." To Cody's surprise, Nick turned around and did exactly that.

Murray's jaw dropped open. "Did they—did they do that to him?" he said, horrified. "All those bruises? His wrists..."

"Yeah, Murray, they didn't invite us over for tea." He took another sip of coffee. "Look, we're okay. The point is, our client just wanted to know where her brother had gone. We've found out what happened—what we think happened—and that has to be it."

Murray looked defiant again. "Are you going to let this...this _brute_ keep hurting people and killing people? This is an outrage!"

"Keep your voice down!" said Cody. "Look, it isn't our job to clean up all the drug dealers in California, especially not when doing so could get us killed in slow and awful ways. Let's let the police do their job."

"Oh, that's a very good idea, Cody!" said Murray, suddenly bursting with enthusiasm. "I'll get right on that!"

Cody suddenly felt uneasy. "Get right on what, Murray?"

"I'll start compiling the evidence. I can start tracing more numbers, now that I know their names. I'll put together tracker programs..."

"Murray, you haven't heard anything I've said!" said Cody, frustrated.

Murray blinked. "But, Cody, you just said that you wanted the police to do their job! They'll need evidence, first. Once we've compiled what we know, then we can deliver it to Quinlan, and they'll be able to crack this criminal organization wide open!"

"Murray," said Cody slowly and carefully. "They've threatened to kill us all if we continue to investigate—"

"Don't be ridiculous, they'll have no idea that we're investigating them," said Murray, waving off his concern. "I think I'll just start working on the data access generator program..." He got out of his seat and went off to his stateroom.

Cody stared at the coffee mug in front of him, wrapping his hand around it. He had a bad feeling about getting into anything else involving Alvarez, but if Murray said they wouldn't find out, then he had to trust him.

He knew he should try to get some sleep, but it felt impossible. His head spun with thoughts of drug dealers and rope and furnace ducts. He rubbed his eyes. He had a feeling that Alvarez was as good as his word, and would leave them alone as long as they stayed out of his sight and Murray's investigation wasn't noticed, which put that worry to rest.

The thought of calling Consuela Morales, however, was not so easily put to rest. How could he explain to her that her beloved brother had been selling drugs? How could he tell her that he was dead? There was just no way to smooth that over. He couldn't help but feel an ache for her loss. She was young, had followed her brother's promise of a better life, and now he was dead and she would be alone.

He shivered. He'd have to call her today. He couldn't put it off much longer. After breakfast, maybe. He took another sip of coffee, staring morosely out the blinds at the harbor. Even the pretty blush of sunrise on the water didn't help.

He could hear Murray in his stateroom, tapping away at a keyboard like a thing possessed.

It was lonely in the salon. _Nick better be sleeping._ He took another sip of coffee, wondering if Nick was warm enough. _He might need another bag of peas..._ He got up and went down to their bedroom. The door had been left open, and Nick was lying on his side, facing the wall. The peas were on the floor.

Taking off his bathrobe, he slipped in behind Nick, holding him skin to skin, feeling him stir beside him. "Shh, just go back to sleep," said Cody quietly. He kissed Nick's shoulder and pulled the blanket up higher around them. Wrapping one arm around his side, he felt Nick sigh as he ran his hand through the hair on Nick's belly, which was silky under his fingers.

Even though Cody thought he wasn't sleepy at all, there was something sweetly soporific about the way Nick breathed as he slid into dreams, the warmth of his body pressed up against him. The smell of his skin. Cody felt himself nod off, and welcomed it.

* * *

_Cody was in the wheelhouse, his boat solid and sure under his feet, but the fog was rolling in, heavy and thick, swirling and coagulating in front of him. Consuela was there, her tears sliding into the fog, and as he stood with his hands useless on the wheel, the voice of her brother rang in on the waves like a chiming bell, calling him coward._

Cody woke, disoriented, blinking sleepily. The cabin was lit by midday sun, bright and cheery, and he rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out what was wrong.

_I'm in Nick's bunk. And Nick is not._ He rolled off the bed, looking at his own to make certain that Nick wasn't playing some sort of Bizarro trick on him, but it was empty, too.

He pulled on one of his bathrobes that was lying on the floor and made his way up to the salon. Nick was already there, stretched out comfortably on the bench seat in a pair of sweats, one hand wrapped around a whale mug. When he saw Cody, he drew his feet in closer, an open invitation to sit next to him. The blinds were half open, revealing the dazzling water of the harbor.

Cody poured himself a cup as well, and sat down next to him on the bench seat. "Good morning," he said, letting one hand slide down to slowly trace his ankle bone.

"Morning," said Nick, a half-smile on his lips.

"Seen Murray?"

Nick shook his head. He looked so beautiful sitting there, even with rope burns on his wrists and a dark bruise along his jaw. Cody usually avoided kissing him in front of windows, but he couldn't help but slide forward in between Nick's legs. He pressed their lips together, his left hand laced through black hair, and Nick clutched at the bathrobe and kissed him back with passion, the taste of coffee and slick tongue nearly undoing him. He let his hand slide down Nick's neck, tracing the tendon to his collarbone, and then his elbow landed on Nick's knee and Nick gasped in pain.

"Peas," said Cody, breaking the kiss. Nick's face was flushed, his blue eyes wide and dazed.

"Yeah," he said.

Cody went down to the galley and retrieved a bag, wrapping it in a dish towel. He brought it up and put it on Nick's knee, stroking his leg lightly before he picked his mug up again.

"I need to call Consuela," said Cody, taking a sip of coffee. A lead weight seemed to settle on his chest at the thought.

Nick put his coffee on the table, and then leaned back again, fixing Cody with his gaze. He shook his head. "We should tell her in person."

Relief washed through them. _I won't have to do this alone._ "You're right, Nick. I'll call her and ask her to stop by." He picked up the phone, scrambling through the pieces of paper on the table until he found her number and dialed it. She answered on the second ring.

"Consuela? It's Cody Allen. From the Riptide Detective Agency..."

As he explained to Consuela that their news needed to be delivered in person, he was acutely aware of Nick watching him, his eyes thoughtful.

Cody hung up. "She'll be here in three hours," he said, reaching for the grinning whale and taking a sip.

"I wonder why her brother did what he did," said Nick, looking out across the water, narrowing his eyes.

"He might have needed the money," said Cody, putting the mug back down on the table. "Or maybe he was ambitious, and couldn't find better work. Maybe he needed to support family back home..."

"She said she was his only family." Nick absently fingered the bandage on his wrist. His eyes grew distant. "Reminds me of Deke."

"Hector does?"

"Yeah." Nick scratched his cheek. "Wanting to make some money the easy way."

"I don't know, Nick. He might have just wanted to support his sister, and give her something better than she had before."

"Maybe," said Nick. "I keep thinking...they never asked me, y'know? And I wouldn't have. But then I think...if I'd been desperate enough..." His eyes focused on Cody.

They were silent for a moment, Cody lost in his thoughts, when there was a shout from the stateroom.

"Murray?" yelled Cody.

"I'm fine!" called out Murray. "I think I've found his private line!"

"Whose private line?" asked Nick, looking suspicious.

_Oh, damn._ "Maybe—"

"Alvarez is going to rue the day he crossed Murray Bozinsky's pals!" shouted Murray boldly.

"Alvarez? Did he just say Alvarez?" Nick leaned closer. "What did you tell him?" He jabbed a finger at Cody. "Alvarez just threatened to kill us all if we so much as look in his general direction! Why is Murray investigating him?"

"Well, I told Murray that he'd kidnapped us...and...he wanted to help," said Cody.

"Help what? Help us all into the grave?" Both hands were now gesturing wildly. "Are you nuts?"

"Look, he said he'd do it quietly, and that Alvarez would never know he was investigating," said Cody, putting his hands up in supplication. "He was really sure about it. He wants to hand over everything to the police."

"You don't think Alvarez will figure this out?" said Nick. "C'mon, Cody, the guy is smart. You don't get to that level of business without some brains. If Murray even puts a transistor out of line, he'll sink us."

"Nick, I trust him," said Cody. "If he says Alvarez won't suspect him, then I believe that Alvarez won't suspect him."

Nick gave him a look that said volumes about how he thought this was a bad idea, that Murray could be in danger, and if anything happened to Murray it was Cody's fault. Cody smiled and stroked Nick's leg again. Sighing, Nick settled back against the cushions gingerly. "Fine."

Cody half-suspected that Nick was actually glad about it. Cody could go to sleep at night and pretend the monsters weren't there, but Nick had never been able to do it. "We should get cleaned up," he said, drinking the last of his coffee.

"Yeah," said Nick.

Cody got up, taking the mug down to the galley and stashing it in the sink. Reaching the head, he stripped off his robe, leaving it in the hall. _Another shower won't hurt. And a shave would be nice._ Stretching his arms, he yawned.

"Gonna hog the shower again?" said Nick, leaning on the doorway, one of his typical cocky half-grins on his face, but his eyes were impossible to misread.

"Yep," said Cody, grinning. "If you want hot water, you'll have to share with me."

Nick raised his eyebrows. "You'd withhold a basic necessity to appease your carnal nature?"

"Who said anything about sex, Nick? I just said you'd have to share the water." He got in and turned on the water. "Now or never, pal."

Nick pulled off his sweatpants, still moving slower than usual, and closed the door, squeezing into the shower in front of Cody and sighing as the hot water doused him.

Cody ran his hands over Nick's chest, one hand straying lower. "I knew it," said Nick. "You did want to have your way with me."

"Of course, it was part of my evil plan," murmured Cody, licking his ear. Nick shivered. "Just stand still and think of England."

Nick chuckled. Cody grabbed a bar of soap and began to lather Nick, his hands making slow passes with the washcloth. "Since when is this part of foreplay?" said Nick.

"Since about a half minute ago." Cody lathered his back, too, running his hands down the long lines of his muscles, avoiding the bruises. He reached across Nick for the shampoo.

"Uh..."

"Shut up and enjoy it, Nick." Cody ran his fingers through Nick's hair, massaging his scalp, rubbing his neck. Nick leaned forward and held his head under the spray until the shampoo was rinsed clean.

"Damn. Think I got some in my eye." He rubbed at it.

Cody put a generous dollop of conditioner in the palm of his right hand, and then reached around Nick's waist, taking his half-hard cock in hand. He rested his other hand on Nick's left hip, squeezing lightly.

Nick gasped. "That's cold."

"It'll warm up soon enough." Cody bit at the edge of Nick's ear, then licked, and Nick groaned. Cody pressed closer, his cock nestled against Nick's ass. "You look good like this."

"What, half-soaped and stuck like a sardine in a can?" said Nick, but he put out his right hand and braced himself on the tile, shuddering as Cody sped up his strokes.

"Naked, wet, hard...take your pick." Cody bit down on his neck lightly, then licked again. "Hell, you keep looking this good, I might take you to the prom."

Nick groaned. "You keep doing that, and I might agree to go with you." He closed his eyes.

Cody licked a path to the edge of his ear, tasting shampoo and wet skin, feeling Nick tremble. "I like having you like this," he whispered. "Nowhere to go, my hand wrapped around you...tasting your neck..." He dragged his teeth along his skin, and Nick moaned. Cody's hand went faster, stroking him the way he knew Nick liked it, all slick and hot and hard, and he felt Nick's muscles tighten, his fingers splayed on the wall, his breath coming in gasps. Cody nipped at his shoulder, and Nick made a strangled moan and then he was coming, his hips thrusting forward, and Cody grinned and kissed his neck, holding him with both hands until Nick finally could stand on his own again. "That was hot. You should have seen your face—"

Nick turned around and pinned him up against the wall, crushing their lips together. One thing Cody had learned, Nick kissed with his whole being, and he gasped as he felt the full press of Nick's wet body against his own.

Years ago, Cody used to watch Nick talk with his hands, and at night he'd let himself imagine what those expressive fingers could do. He hadn't been disappointed when drunken push finally came to drunken shove came to drunken kiss came to much, much more. Nick's hands were intense, like the rest of him, and when he reached for the conditioner, Cody groaned even though he hadn't even been touched yet.

Nick looked at him, his blue eyes electric as he poured conditioner into his palm, and Cody knew that when he looked at him like that, he was about to get kissed like the world was ending.

He wasn't disappointed. Gentle at first, Nick's lips were hot against his, and Nick's hand wrapped around his cock. Cody made an inarticulate noise. "Told you it was cold," said Nick, grinning. He pressed their lips together harder, and Cody was against the wall with no place to go, and Nick slid his tongue in, penetrating his mouth, and Cody moaned again, feeling his cock twitch. _This will never be enough. Him. His hands. His mouth. I will always want more._

"Nick," he said breathlessly, and Nick kissed him harder, his teeth dragging over his lower lip, sending currents down his spine. His slick hand stroked faster, and Cody groaned into the kiss. "Not gonna last..."

"I know," said Nick huskily. His hand was so good, so perfect, his strokes long and even, and Cody could feel the pressure coiling within him, could feel his muscles tensing. Nick kissed him again, passionate, hot, wet, his tongue deliciously sinful, his hand never slowing. Cody whimpered into his mouth. So close. The pleasure was building and his whole body was divided between mouth and cock, and then he was bucking helplessly into Nick's hand, crying out as he came, his head hitting the tile behind him hard enough to make him blink.

"Okay?" said Nick.

Cody could barely nod. The wall supported him for a long moment as his panting breaths slowly relaxed. "Better than...okay. Uh, incredible." He closed his eyes and shook his head to clear it.

"Hot water's run out," hinted Nick.

Cody opened his eyes, suddenly realizing that Nick was standing there on a bad knee with cold water flowing on his back. "Sorry, Nick—"

"Yeah, I know, you were a little preoccupied," said Nick, a wicked look on his face. "Still, I think it's time to get out, before Murray sends in the Coast Guard."


	2. Chapter 2

Even though Cody hadn't quite received the full benefit of soap, he'd shaved and changed and felt presentable. He'd cleaned off the table in the salon and run the vacuum through the room.

Nick had reheated Chinese leftovers from the day before, which seemed a world away. Cody'd brought Murray a plate of cashew chicken, but the heat from the electronics in the room was at an all-time high with Murray in the center surrounded by fans, and Cody had beat a quick retreat after making certain that Murray noticed the food.

Now there was nothing to do but wait, which Cody hated. Nick looked almost serene, dressed in jeans and a striped button-down shirt, freshly shaved. The long sleeves hid the bandages on his wrists, and, except for the bruise on his jaw, Cody almost couldn't tell that he'd been worked over the night before. Hell, barely twelve hours ago.

Cody was at the coffee counter when he realized he'd already had three cups and probably shouldn't risk another. Putting down the mug, he looked at his watch, and mentally winced. Consuela would be there any moment.

He heard footsteps, and then Nick was behind him, wrapping his arms around him, wordlessly comforting. He felt Nick press his lips against his neck, and he sighed, feeling some of the tension drain away. He reached up and put his hand over Nick's, stroking it lightly. _Thanks. I'll be okay._

Another kiss, and Nick limped back to the bench seat. Cody followed him, and they both sat down, pressed up close, Cody's arm around his waist. The table's shiny surface reflected the warm afternoon sunshine.

Murray came down, looking bright and chipper. "The Roboz told me that it was almost time," he said, and sat down at the bench seat. "Thanks for bringing me lunch," he added.

"Welcome," said Cody absently. He ran a hand through his hair.

The boat rocked slightly, and a woman's voice called out, "Hello?"

"In here!" said Cody, getting up and running to the stairs. He took Consuela's hand and helped her down the steps.

Yet again, Cody was struck by how homely she was. She could never be termed as attractive, and her red-rimmed eyes and fatigued expression didn't help. She was short and on the shapeless side. Her brother had been tall and good-looking, but the features that had suited his face looked overly severe on hers.

"Please, take a seat," said Cody. Murray moved over to the corner, and Nick winced but covered it quickly. Murray must have run into his sore knee. Cody sat down next to Nick, pressing his shoulder subtly with his own. "Miss Morales, I'm afraid we don't have good news for you."

"My brother?" she asked, her accent heavy.

Cody wanted to smooth the edges, to tell her gently, but he knew it was impossible; her English was limited. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Your brother is dead."

"Dead," she repeated, and her eyes filled with tears. "How?"

Cody hesitated.

"We think he was shot," said Nick, his eyes expressing his sorrow.

"This...you think of murder?" she said, putting her hand over her mouth. "Who?"

"Diego Alvarez," said Cody.

Consuela gasped, and it was obvious that she knew who he was talking about. "Why? Hector..."

"We think he was working for Alvarez," said Nick. "We don't know why he was killed. He might have seen something that Alvarez didn't want him to see."

She was still for a long moment, her dark eyes overflowing with tears.

"Don't you worry," said Murray sagely, handing her a tissue. "We'll get to the bottom of this. We'll make sure that Alvarez doesn't go unpunished. We're working with the police right now—"

She wiped her eyes with an economy of motion, stashing the used tissue in her pocket. Opening her purse, she pulled out an envelope, sliding it across the table toward Cody. "Thank you," she said.

Murray opened his mouth, clearly not wanting to take her money, but she shook her head. "To know—I need to know. Thank you."

Cody got up and came around as she stood up. She returned his hug perfunctorily. "I'm so sorry, Miss Morales," he said, helping her up the stairs. She said not a word as he guided her off the ship and she walked up the companionway, vanishing into the pier crowd.

Cody reentered the salon, and his eyes fell upon Nick, sitting alone at the table. His expression was sad. One hand rubbed the back of his neck.

"Murray went back to his room?"

Nick nodded, his eyes a million miles away.

"I'm sure she'll be okay," said Cody. It sounded lame, even to him.

"Yeah," said Nick quietly. His hand still rubbed absently.

"We should think about dinner." Cody forced a light tone.

"Whatever you want, man."

"I was thinking about steaks. We could go up to Alpha Beta and pick some up. Maybe something to drink..." _Not beer, though._

Nick made a noncommittal sound.

Cody opened the envelope, counting out the twenties inside, and deposited most of them in the cigar box. Tucking the remaining few in his pocket, he walked up to Nick, touching his elbow. "C'mon, Nick, let's go."

"Hmm?" said Nick, looking up.

"Grocery run. I'll go tell Murray." He turned back around and leaned into the stairs. "Murray! We're getting groceries! Need anything?"

There was a pause, and he heard the Roboz whirring about. "Mountain Dew!" shouted Murray. "And pixie sticks!"

Cody groaned. Those were Murray's favorite things when he was elbow-deep in his computer work. "Sure, Murray," he said.

Nick had his left shoe on, but looked annoyed at his right. Cody came up and tied it for him, giving him a lingering kiss. "Thanks," said Nick.

"No problem. I _like_ kissing you."

Nick half-grinned and stood up, one hand braced on the table. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

The parking lot for Alpha Beta was nearly full. Cody drove around four times, fretting about parking close enough that Nick wouldn't have to walk too far. He knew better than to suggest dropping Nick off at the door. Cody grimaced as a girl in a red sports car pulled into the closest spot.

"Will you park already? You're making me dizzy," complained Nick.

"I'm on it," said Cody. A woman holding a bag approached a nearby minivan, and he breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled out and he took her spot.

At the door, Nick went to grab a basket, but Cody took a shopping cart instead and put the basket back. Nick looked at him quizzically. "Murray's Mountain Dew," he reminded him.

Nick nodded and they made their way into the store. Nick stayed with the cart, thankfully, and Cody made his way to the butcher counter, where he picked out three strip steaks.

"Must be payday," said the kid, punching buttons on the scale.

"Yeah," said Cody. "You could say that." He squashed a guilty thought about Consuela and her money.

Steaks in hand, he walked back to Nick, who was in the busy soft drink aisle. Making his way past an elderly couple arguing about where the coupons were, he put the steaks in the basket, watching as Nick squeezed in between two women to pick up a case of Mountain Dew.

"Steaks?" said Nick, looking in the cart. "Are we celebrating something?" He hefted the case into the bottom of the cart, then stood up, wincing minutely.

"Yeah," said Cody. _Being alive. Not cold. Not tied up in a windowless room._

Nick grinned, squeezing his arm affectionately. The woman next to him gave them both a quick look, and then went back to loading the fifth case of cans into her cart.

The checkouts were all packed, and Cody groaned, thinking of Nick standing there waiting on his bad knee. _I should have done the shopping by myself._ Nick didn't say a word, of course, but it was there on his face, and he was leaning on the cart.

The girl at the register had a pink ponytail holder that reminded him of Tiffany, and she snapped her gum aggressively, jabbing at the keys. Cody held up the case of Mountain Dew and she added it.

He watched the food travel down the conveyor belt and began to wonder if he'd brought enough cash. Nick had added a few unexpected things, like chewing gum and cleaning supplies, and Cody pulled the bills out of his pocket and recounted them.

The bagger was quick, and Nick waited at the end of the lane, readjusting the groceries in the cart.

"Eighty-eight dollars and thirty-two cents," said the girl, blowing a bubble and popping it.

"Uh...Nick, did you bring some cash with you?" asked Cody.

"How much you need?" He brought out his wallet.

"You have a ten?"

"Sure." He handed it over and put his wallet back in his pocket. The girl and the bagger exchanged a knowing glance.

Cody handed her the bills, and she counted out the change. "Have a nice day," she said, her attention already on the next person in line.

"You too," said Cody, putting the change in his pocket. Nick was almost out the doors already, and Cody followed.

He watched as Nick pushed the cart across the parking lot, limping a little, and he was struck anew by how much he cared for him, how much he still wanted to be with him for every moment, good or bad. He caught up to him, giving him a smile as he unlocked the Jimmy. "Get in, I'll unload the cart," he said.

Nick nodded and walked around the other side. Cody put the groceries in the back and then returned the cart.

The ride back was typical, Nick trying to listen to something and Cody switching it back to PCH, with a look from Nick saying exactly about how he felt about that music. And that he still missed his favorite shirt.

The pier was busy, and Cody was once again glad that he had managed to get them permanent parking spots near their slip. A couple cars drove slowly down the pier drive; no doubt they were tourists looking at the boats and the harbor.

They both grabbed bags of groceries and made their way down the companionway. Cody couldn't help but smile at the sight of the Riptide.

Nick waved off his attempts at helping him get aboard, and Cody made his way to the galley, setting the bags down on the counter. There was a thump, which sounded like it came from Murray's room.

"Hey, Murray, we're back," shouted Cody, coming back into the salon. "We got your pixie sticks—"

A heavyset guy came down the stairs, a gun pointed at Cody. He put up his hands automatically. "What do you want?"

"We've got what we want," he said. "Just shut up and stay still and we're gone."

"Unhand me!" shouted Murray, being pulled down the stairs by another thug. Cody took a step forward, and the heavyset thug raised the gun, looking at him menacingly.

"We'll give you anything," said Cody. "Anything you want. Just leave him here."

"I told you to keep your hands off me!" said Murray. He kicked his captor in the shin.

Cody took a chance and dove at the heavyset thug, knocking him into the table. The gun skittered away across the floor. He didn't have time to react as the guy brought his knee up and caught him squarely in the stomach, and Cody fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"You're not going to get away with this!" said Murray.

"Told you we should have gagged him. C'mon, let's get outta here." The other thug grunted in assent. Cody wheezed, listening as their footsteps took off. There were more shouts and noises from the fantail.

He got to his feet, stumbling. _Two gut shots in less than twenty-four hours._ Nick was on the deck, eyes closed, and Cody grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

Murray shouted something from the companionway, and Cody lurched off the boat, hitting the dock with both feet running. Nick was right behind him, and together they rushed toward the thugs, who had their hands full with a struggling Murray.

Cody got to them first, and the heavyset thug ducked his punch and shoved instead. He lost his balance and went rolling down the companionway past Nick.

He managed to stop himself by grabbing onto one of the railings, and got up, running for the gate. He heard the squeal of tires, and looked up just in time to see Nick jump on a car. _Damnit, Nick, we've talked about this before—_ "Nick!" he yelled.

For a long, heartstopping moment Nick clung to the roof, and then the car made a sudden pull to the left, and Nick fell off, rolling across the pavement.

"Nick!" he yelled again uselessly, running after him. He squinted, making out the plate just before the car drove out of sight. "Nick, are you okay?"

"They got Murray," said Nick, panting. He was holding his right arm.

"Yeah, I know. I got the plate number. Is your arm okay?"

"Do you need me to call an ambulance?" asked a woman in a bikini. "Or the police?"

"No ambulance," said Nick, frowning.

"I'll call the police," said Cody. "Thanks." He turned his attention to Nick's arm, prying his fingers away from the ripped shirt. A bad scrape was already bleeding. "Can you walk?"

Nick nodded, sitting up. He looked pale. "We'll take the 'Vette—"

"What?" said Cody. "No, Nick, we need to call Quinlan. What are you going to do, drive down every street in King Harbor, looking for that car?"

The stubborn set of Nick's jaw answered his question.

"Back to the boat," said Cody. "We need to regroup and think about this."

"Think?" said Nick, looking dumbfounded. "You know who did this—"

"C'mon," said Cody, helping him up. Nick winced as he stood on his feet, swaying a little. The right leg of his jeans was shredded near the knee. "We'll get him back. First we just—"

"We need to get out there! If we take the Mimi—"

"You can't fly the Mimi like this—" Nick stiffened and gave him a fierce look. "Fine, maybe you can. But you're not going to. Back to the boat. The longer we wait, the greater the chance they'll ditch the car. We have to call Quinlan now." _C'mon, Nick._

Nick looked mutinous, but finally nodded. Cody exhaled the breath he'd been holding and got a firmer grasp around Nick's waist, guiding him to the companionway.

The fantail was littered with groceries. Eggs were smashed all over the deck. Nick must have dropped the bag when the two thugs came out with Murray. Cody turned his focus back to getting Nick onboard and into the salon.

_Gotta run the plate._ He took two steps toward Murray's stateroom before he remembered and turned back to the phone. Fortunately, his luck held, and Quinlan picked up on the third ring, barking out his name.

"Lieutenant, hello, this is Cody Allen," he said. "Listen, we've run into some trouble—"

"What's the matter, Allen?" said Quinlan. "Messed up your tan? A bully kicked sand in your face and stole Ryder?"

Cody's jaw muscles clenched. "No, Lieutenant. Actually, Murray's been kidnapped."

"Bozinsky? Who'd want to kidnap him?"

"We don't know, but we have a feeling it might be connected to a local drug dealer. Two guys grabbed him from the boat just now, and took him to a car driven by a third. The plate was 638 Sam Jacob Andrew. Late model Buick Centennial."

"Buick Centennial? Not usually the car of choice for drug dealers."

"Look, that's what they were driving. We'd really appreciate it if you could get someone to run the plates and—"

"I know my job," said Quinlan. "You just stay put and don't do anything stupid. I'll call you when I have information." There was a click as he hung up.

"What did he say?" demanded Nick.

"He'll call us when he knows anything," said Cody. Nick made an exasperated noise, his hand on his arm.

Cody grabbed the first aid kit from their bedroom. Back upstairs, Nick looked miserable, guilt and fright on his face in equal measures, and Cody sat down next to him, pressing a kiss to his temple before he reached for the buttons on his shirt.

Nick's hand closed around his wrist. "No, Cody, we need to..."

"We need to give Quinlan time," said Cody soothingly. "Look, they have a reason for kidnapping him. They're not going to do anything until they get through the reason. Either it's for money, or—"

"Money?" said Nick in disbelief. "Cody, this is Alvarez we're talking about!"

"Is it?" said Cody thoughtfully, shifting his hand out of Nick's grip and undoing the first button. "I'm not so sure."

Nick sounded exasperated. "Who else could it be?"

"Think about it, Nick. We were kidnapped in the dead of night, chloroformed...we don't even know where it was they took us. It was perfectly executed. In fact, no one even saw them take us, as far as I know." He undid the second button. "But this was clumsy, done in broad daylight, and the car they used...and why didn't they, y'know, kill us? I don't think Alvarez makes idle threats."

"Yeah," said Nick. "That's true."

"Plus, I think he would send the same guys, especially since they did the first job so well. And I don't remember smelling mint."

"Mint?"

"One of them uses mint aftershave, I think," said Cody, undoing the last button. He grabbed the shirt and pulled it up out of Nick's waistband, and Nick wriggled his left arm out of the sleeve.

"So who do you think it was, then?" asked Nick.

"I don't know." Cody carefully pulled the shirt off his right arm and threw it to the floor. "Looks like you hit pretty hard."

Nick made a noncommittal noise. "Maybe it's Domingo."

"Domingo?" He wiped away at the blood, and Nick sucked in a breath. "Hmm."

"Yeah. He's supposed to 'fix' the situation. And remember who's the source of it."

"True." He checked over Nick's elbow, bending it slightly, but to his relief it seemed only bruised and scraped. "This is going to sting," he said sympathetically as he reached for the alcohol.

Nick didn't make a sound, but Cody could feel him stiffen under his grip as he poured the disinfectant on the scrape. He covered it with gauze and taped it into place. "Take your pants off," said Cody.

"But if Quinlan calls—"

Cody shook his head. "Pants off."

"Look, I think we should be ready to—"

"Pants," said Cody evenly.

Nick grimaced, but reached for the button and unzipped them. Cody pulled them off, careful with his right knee, and tossed them to the floor.

His knee was scraped and swollen, and Cody thanked Uncle Sam yet again for the basic medical training that he'd received as he prodded and poked and eventually decided that nothing was broken. "You're a lucky guy," he said, opening the bottle of disinfectant again.

"Doesn't feel like it," said Nick through gritted teeth.

"Hold still," he said. Nick hissed in pain and turned a shade paler. More gauze and tape, and then Cody went for an ice pack and some ibuprofen, which Nick accepted without squawking.

Reassembling the first aid kit, Cody suddenly remembered the groceries, and he went out on the fantail and retrieved them. Everything was salvageable except the eggs. _Pancakes for breakfast, then._ He sighed. _If there is a breakfast._ Murray rose up in his mind, frightened, Domingo threatening him, and Cody squashed it quickly and came inside, heading for the galley.

Putting away the groceries gave him time to refocus, and he concentrated on filling the small fridge. He heard Nick limp to the head, and frowned, going to the door and waiting outside. He heard splashing in the sink.

Nick emerged looking like he'd cried, but Cody didn't say anything, steering him to the bedroom even though he protested. "Just lie down for a little while," said Cody softly. "I'll let you know as soon as Quinlan calls back." Nick still protested, but he got under the covers, shivering.

He went back upstairs, pulling out paper, trying to remember anything he'd seen as they were taken to the car, anything that Domingo had said that might be a clue. There was nothing. His mind was a blank, overwhelmed by worry for Murray. _Where would Domingo take him? Back to the warehouse? Or somewhere discreet, where he could find out the information without Alvarez being involved?_ He doodled on the paper. _Would Domingo want him to demonstrate how he tracked him? If Murray got near a computer, he might be able to give us a message..._

Racing up to Murray's stateroom, he addressed the Roboz. "Roboz, have you heard anything from Murray?"

_NO_ displayed in red letters on the Roboz's chestplate.

An idea hit him. "Roboz, can you run a license plate for me?"

_YES_.

"638 SJA," said Cody. "Name and address that it's registered to." He held his breath, hoping.

There was a moment's pause, the Roboz's head moving back and forth with a whirr, and then the answer displayed on his chest.

"Wow, this is great." Cody looked around for a pen, and found one, but there was not an unmarked piece of paper within ten feet; everything was covered with numbers and subroutines. "I wish you could just write it down for me, Roboz."

One of the printers came to life, and as Cody watched in amazement, a sheet printed out with the name and address. "Thanks, Roboz!"

_YOU'RE WELCOME_ flashed on the display. Cody ran down the steps, heading for the bedroom. "Nick, I have an address for the plate," he said, rummaging in Nick's wardrobe. Pulling out jeans and a fresh shirt, he tossed them to Nick, who sat up.

"I didn't hear the phone ring," said Nick, catching the clothes.

"The Roboz provided it," said Cody, grinning. "I'm really getting the hang of this computer stuff, y'know?"

Nick pulled on his jeans, wincing, and Cody walked over and leaned down, helping him. A quick kiss and his shirt was on, and Cody pulled their guns out of the nightstand. Another kiss, and they were heading for the Jimmy, Nick with a look of determination on his face.

"Stop at the Mimi. We'll need the rifles." Nick stretched out his right leg, a look of pain on his face.

"Halfway there, partner." Cody stopped at the landing pad, hauling open Mimi's cargo door and pulling out the duffel bag with their weapons. He threw it into the back of the Jimmy and then took off again, tires squealing.

"What's the address?" asked Nick, and Cody handed him the folded up printout. "739 Bayside Court? A subdivision? Are you sure this is right?"

"I don't know," said Cody. "But we're going to find out."

"It's on the east side," said Nick, sounding deep in thought. "In the middle of a bunch of subdivisions. I don't know, Cody, I don't think they'd risk anyone seeing them."

"Yeah, well, it's our only lead." He cursed as he stopped for a red light.

"It's a court—might be a cul-de-sac," said Nick. "How are we going to get in?"

"Around back? Cutting through other yards, maybe?"

"With rifles? In daylight?"

"Look, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know, but I don't want to end up in jail. We can't help Murray if we end up in a cell tonight."

"Yeah, I know," said Cody, frustrated. "But we don't have a lot of choice, here. They know what we look like, so we can't try getting in as pay TV guys or poolmen."

"We'll park the next street over and cut through the backyard," said Nick.

"I just said that!"

"Yeah, well, it's a good plan." Nick checked the cartridge in his handgun. "But let's not carry the rifles."

"Almost there," said Cody. He turned down Bayside View Drive and they passed Bayside Court. He turned into the next court and they parked.

Rushing through the immaculately trimmed backyards, Cody watched Nick's back as he took point. Every sense was on alert, drowning out thoughts of Murray, and he concentrated on getting to the house with them both in one piece.

The late afternoon sun cast long golden rays of light across his path, and he squinted against it. _Should have come in from the other direction._ The house was before them, dark and still, and he frowned. A hand motion and a look, and he went to one side as Nick went to the other, but there was no reaction from inside the house. Another hand motion, and Nick pulled out his lock pick and opened the back door, and Cody went in first, ignoring Nick's frustrated noise.

Empty. Everything had a thick layer of dust on it, and the front entryway looked undisturbed, maybe for months. Nick looked like he wanted to punch a wall.

"C'mon," said Cody. "Nobody's here. We should get back and call Quinlan again."

"We should check the basement," said Nick.

"I'll check the basement." Cody sprinted down the steps, gun out, but it was completely empty, bare stone walls radiating gloom. He ran back up. "Nothing. Let's go."

The walk back to the truck was glum. Nick stumbled and Cody put his gun in the back of his jeans, flipping his shirt over it, and grabbed hold of Nick's waist, supporting him. When they reached the Jimmy, he noticed a few people looking at them through their curtains, and he hoped they hadn't noticed Nick's gun.

"There's no way they used this house at all," said Nick as Cody started the car. "Our only lead was a dead end."

Cody shivered at the phrase. "Quinlan might have information. We'll just head back and find out."

"If I'd just gotten into the car..." Nick looked frustrated.

"They would have killed you," said Cody. "And that wouldn't have helped anyone."

"Damn." Nick rubbed his temples, obviously exhausted.

"We'll get him back," promised Cody.

"Yeah."

The pier came in view, and Cody parked the Jimmy haphazardly and helped Nick out. As they got halfway down the companionway, they could hear the phone ringing, and Cody looked at Nick apologetically before letting go of him and running for the boat at breakneck speed. Crashing into the salon, he grabbed the handset. "Quinlan? Are you there?" he said, panting.

"Quinlan? Huh? Is this the Riptide Detective Agency?" asked a woman's voice. The background noise was almost overwhelming. A car phone, most likely.

"Uh, yeah." _Damn damn damn._ "Cody Allen speaking."

"Cody? It's me, Tiffany! I've been calling you guys for the past half hour!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Tiffany—"

"It's the Boz! He's been kidnapped!"

"We know—wait, how do you know?"

"He sent me a message over my data feedback relay—oh, never mind how I got it, he told me he's being held by someone named Domingo and he gave me the coordinates."

"Let me get a piece of paper," said Cody. His hands shook as he grabbed the pen and paper he'd left on the table before. Turning over the doodled sheet, he gripped the phone between his shoulder and his cheek. "Okay, I'm ready."

"The coordinates—no, wait, I looked it up, let me just give you the cross streets. Ardmore and 16th Ave, just above Pier St. I'll meet you at the corner of Pier and Ardmore."

"Meet us?" said Cody. "What do you mean?"

"Look, I'm almost there already," she said brightly. "And I'm a champion pistol markswoman."

"These are dangerous guys, Tiffany, I appreciate your offer of help, but—"

"I'll see you at the corner of Pier and Ardmore in fifteen minutes." There was a click.

"What did Quinlan say?" asked Nick. He stood at the top of the steps, looking down into the salon.

"That wasn't Quinlan, that was Tiffany," said Cody. "Murray contacted her and told her where he's being held. We were right, it was Domingo." He dialed the phone quickly. "She's meeting us at Pier and Ardmore." He put the phone to his ear.

"Meeting us?" said Nick, looking confused.

The phone rang once. "Quinlan!" said a raspy voice.

"It's Cody Allen again," said Cody into the telephone. "Look, we've found out where they're holding Murray. It's a building at Ardmore and 16th Ave. We're going in."

"Allen, you better not," said Quinlan. "Leave this to the professionals."

"What was that, Quinlan? I couldn't hear you." Cody hung up the phone. "C'mon, Nick, we need to get going."

"But Tiffany—"

"Look, she can just cover us," said Cody. He half-dragged Nick up the companionway. "She's a crack shot, remember, and it'll be good to have someone watching our backs."

"So we're just going in, guns blazing?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

Tiffany was sitting in her neon pink convertible, waiting for them. She hopped gracefully into the back of the Jimmy. "Murray said that there are three guys holding him prisoner," she said. "One of them is Domingo. He said they're in the northeastern section of the building, and he's running data for Domingo, demonstrating how he tracked them. He doesn't have much time, though, they're starting to suspect that he's stalling."

"Okay," said Nick. "We go in from the south, I'm on point—"

"No," said Cody. "I'm on point. You come in from the west with Tiffany—"

"I think that the most logical course would be for Cody to come in from the west, and Nick and I will come in from the south," said Tiffany. "I'll cover you both as best as I can."

Nick and Cody both looked at each other. "I've got no problem with that," said Nick, grinning.

"Fine," said Cody. "I'll come in from the west, with the rifle, and you guys take the south."

"Agreed," said Tiffany. He heard the unmistakable noise of a pistol being loaded.

The warehouse proclaimed _Riviera Industries_ and they parked the Jimmy in a nearby lot. There was a camera mounted to the side of the building, and they approached it, low, and Tiffany knocked it out with a single shot. Nick raised his eyebrows, impressed.

Cody split from them, coming around the west side, finding an entrance padlocked shut. Knocking the lock off with the rifle, he opened the door, balancing the gun under his arm. His handgun was tucked in the waistband of his jeans.

The hallway was deserted, and he padded quietly forward, his eyes scanning the rooms as he passed. It took a turn to the left, and he followed. There was a glassed in courtyard to his right.

He worried momentarily about Nick, but dropped it. _He's got Tiffany covering his back._

The corridor turned to the right again, and he could see that it led directly across the entire building. _This is it._ There was light spilling out from an open door at the very end of the hall. _Murray must be there. If I walk quietly...if they don't check the hallway often...if I can get there before anyone notices...that's a lot of ifs._ None of the doorways were recessed; he wouldn't have any time to duck into one without opening a door.

Nick and Tiffany would be walking up a similarly long hallway from their direction. He could just barely see the entrance to the right. He shifted his grip on the gun and wiped his sweaty palm on his jeans. _Murray. Just focus on Murray._

A hundred feet. Breathe. Another hundred feet. No sign of movement. The light from the open door spilled into the hall, and he could faintly hear voices. _They'll be able to see Nick coming. The doorway lines up with the south hall._ Another hundred feet, and he had to remember to breathe again. _Nick, be careful._

He could read the number above the door now, and he could hear Murray arguing with someone, presumably Domingo. He thought he could faintly hear sirens, too, but he wasn't certain. Another fifty feet. His finger was on the trigger. Much closer and he'd have to drop it and switch to the handgun. He couldn't take the chance of hitting Murray accidentally.

The arguing grew louder, and Cody's heart hammered against his ribs.

"Domingo! Someone's in the hallway!" shouted a voice.

_Nick._ There was a burst of gunfire, and he thought he heard someone shout. _If that hallway's like this one, there's no place for them to hide, unless they get through a door quickly._ He looked at the door next to him. There was a gleam of light from underneath—was it a second entrance into the room? He yanked it open and shot off a burst of ammunition at the far wall. "Drop your weapons!" he yelled, hoping that the element of surprise would take their attention from Nick. There was a yell, and more gunfire, and Cody jumped back out as the opaque glass in the door shattered. _Damn._

"Nick!" he yelled. "I'm going in the other door!" He paused for a few seconds, hoping they'd be stupid enough to believe him, and then went through the same door again, nearly slipping on the broken glass. "Drop your weapons!" he shouted.

Murray was behind a computer desk, looking utterly relieved. The two thugs from earlier were facing the other door, and they looked at each other and then dropped their handguns to the floor.

"Kick them away from you!" snarled Cody. They did so reluctantly.

"Drop your gun, or the geek gets it!" said Domingo, coming out from behind a filing cabinet and grabbing Murray, his Glock in hand.

"Unhand me!" said Murray.

Cody froze. There was no accuracy with automatic rifles; if he tried to squeeze off another round it could be disastrous. "Okay," he said. "I'm going to set it down slowly..." He let go of the grip and began to drop it to the floor by the barrel.

There was a single shot, and the gun flew out of Domingo's hand.

"Tiffany!" crowed Murray, clearly ecstatic. He punched Domingo in the stomach, and he fell to the floor, gasping. "You got my message!" He picked up Domingo's handgun. "One move and you're Swiss cheese," he told him.

"I did, Boz!" she said cheerfully. "What a fun rescue! Do you guys do this all the time?"

"Fun?" said Cody in disbelief, his stomach churning. The sirens were louder now, and he heard people running up the corridor. "Wait—Nick! Where's Nick?"

"He's still in the corridor," said Tiffany. "I think his knee's bothering him. I can hold these guys, if you like."

Cody barely gave her a backward glance and dashed out into the hallway. Nick was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, holding his right arm. "Nick!" shouted Cody. "What happened? Are you hit?"

"Just a graze," said Nick, his eyes closed. Blood seeped in between his fingers.

"Let me see," said Cody. He tore a strip from Nick's shirt.

"Hey—"

"It was already ruined," said Cody. He pried Nick's fingers away and wiped at the blood, sighing in relief. He was right, it was just a graze. "Your knee give out?"

"Something like that." He opened his eyes, and Cody could immediately see how much pain he was in. And guilt.

"This time you're going to the hospital," said Cody. "No arguments." Nick nodded wearily, and winced as Cody wrapped the fabric around his arm and tied it tightly. "We did it, Nick. Murray is fine. And Alvarez has no reason to hunt us down."

"I didn't make it," said Nick raggedly. "Lost my footing."

"It's okay," said Cody. "Tiffany was here, and she got us through all right."

"If she hadn't—"

"That doesn't matter." Cody stroked his cheek. "We're all okay."

Nick's eyes flashed a brief warning and Cody removed his hand just in time to hear Quinlan's voice behind him. "We can book Domingo Riviera on kidnapping charges," he said smoothly. "If we're lucky, he'll roll over on Alvarez. You three clowns did something worthwhile for once."

"Thanks, Lieutenant," said Cody, not letting go of Nick's arm. "Can you call an ambulance?"

Nick started to protest. "Cody, just take—"

"Already here," said Quinlan. "But I'll need your statements before you go." He grinned, looking pleased.

"Yeah. Sure." _Anything. I'll sign a live chicken as long as Nick gets in that ambulance._

"I'll go get Carlisle." Quinlan strode off, shouting at the nearest cop.

Nick started to move, as if he was going to stand up, and Cody put his other hand on his shoulder, pressing down. "You don't need to be on your feet to give a statement."

Surprisingly enough, Nick nodded, reaching up with his left hand and touching Cody on his wrist tenderly. He dropped it when Carlisle came up, notepad in hand.

The hospital went as well as expected. Better, in fact, because Nick did not insist on leaving until after the doctor had sorted out everything, including his knee, which he'd sprained. Cody listened intently to all of the aftercare instructions, and nabbed the handouts, which would have ended up in the trash had they gotten to Nick.

Of course, Nick was still ready to leave the moment the doctor said he didn't have to stay. Once they were in the Jimmy, he was quiet. Cody kept looking over, thinking he'd fallen asleep, but his eyes were open, staring out into the dark California night.

The _Riptide_ was silent. Murray was with Tiffany, celebrating the "fun rescue," and Cody doubted that he'd be back until morning. Or maybe lunchtime. Nick didn't make it past the salon, and as soon as Cody got him to sit down on the bench seat he went for supplies to ice down his knee and elbow.

He grabbed Nick's favorite sweats, too, and a sleeveless shirt. Had it been just last night that they'd been dragged out of their beds? _Seems like a million years ago._ He came back into the salon, setting down the supplies on the table. Nick watched him, blue eyes exhausted.

"Bet Murray's having a good night," said Cody, sitting down next to him and pulling off his shoes. At the mention of Murray, Nick winced. "Nick, I don't know how to tell you this, but the universe didn't stop because you tripped."

Nick bristled immediately. "Murray could have died."

"Yeah. And Dracula could have shown up and turned into a cloud of bats. Could haves will eat you alive, buddy."

"It was all up to luck," said Nick softly, staring at him intently. His eyes spoke volumes. _It could have just as easily been you._

_Oh, Nick, is this what's hurting you?_ "Nick, it's a dangerous business," said Cody, stroking his foot gently. "Anything can happen. We've had good luck, and bad luck, and we're still here, together."

"Yeah, but—"

"If you start to worry about what could have happened, you'll end up at Williams State Hospital." He got up and came closer, taking off Nick's sling and unbuttoning his shirt. "You won't always be able to protect me. Or Murray. Or even the goldfish."

"We don't have goldfish."

"Whatever. My point is, you have to let others have responsibility for their lives, too. You can't take all of that on your shoulders." He slid the shirt off, feeling Nick trembling with emotion under his hands. Pulling him into his arms, he kissed his neck. "I've got you, partner, and you've got me, and we'll watch each other's backs, y'know? And that's the best we can do. The best that's expected."

Nick was crying now, quietly, his left hand fisted into Cody's shirt. "Too close."

"Yeah, I know, buddy." There was nothing left to say, and Cody just held him until he calmed.

Nick scrubbed at his eyes with his free hand. "Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about." Cody smiled. "You've had a helluva day."

"You did, too."

"Yeah, but I didn't fall off a moving car, or get pummeled for being a smartass to a drug dealer's goons. No one slammed the lid of a trunk on my knee."

"Yeah, there is that." Nick leaned back and closed his eyes.

"You should get in bed," said Cody. "You fall asleep here, and I won't be able to carry you down into the bedroom."

"Mm-hmm," said Nick.

"C'mon, Nick, don't make me put my back out trying." He tapped him on the cheek.

"I'm awake," said Nick, blinking his eyes.

"Up," said Cody, helping him stand. "Bed." Nick half-staggered down the stairs, Cody supporting him, and barely made it to his bunk. He slid in between the sheets with a sigh. "Love you," said Cody softly, kissing his temple. Nick murmured something in reply.

Cody went back up to the wheelhouse, leaning out into the cool winter air, the stars glimmering overhead. The sound of the sea was soothing, and he let it wash over him, let the ball of tension in his chest ease. Locking the doors, he made his way back down through the _Riptide_, turning off lights and battening down the hatches, until only a single light gleamed in the dark, leading him to Nick. He lay down next to him, listening to him breathe, thinking it was the best sound he'd ever heard. He turned off the light and let sleep overtake him.

* * *

_The ocean is warm. Cody dives in, coming up to brilliant sunshine. The sky is blue, gorgeous, the shade of Nick's eyes. Nick is there, too, swimming toward him, grinning lazily, a promise on his lips. The _Riptide_ bobs next to them, and Cody can smell bacon._

Cody slowly came awake. He heard voices, laughter, the sizzle of frying bacon.

_Bacon?_ He rubbed his eyes.

Nick had gotten past him, somehow, and Cody frowned. He thought he could hear Murray's voice. Getting up, he took a quick shower and put on some clothes, heading for the galley.

"Good morning!" said Murray enthusiastically. He was frying bacon in a pan while Tiffany manned a skillet with a pancake in it.

"Good morning," he said, squeezing past them to sit down next to Nick.

"Morning," said Nick, his head resting against the wall. He looked pale, but his eyes were at ease. _Typical Nick, calm after the storm._

"Sleep well?" He caressed Nick's arm under the table.

"Yeah." He grinned. "You slept like a log."

Cody grinned in return. "Good dreams, too."

"Wasn't that rescue boss?" asked Murray. "That was a boss and bodacious rescue. That was really great, guys!"

"It was a boss rescue," said Cody. Tiffany handed him a glass of orange juice. "Thanks."

"You don't think it was bodacious?" said Nick.

"Of course it was bodacious," said Cody. "It was definitely bodacious."

"Good thing you cleared that up." Nick gave him a knowing look.

"Anybody want a pancake?" said Tiffany, bringing the pan to the table.

"I'll take one," said Nick, and she flipped it onto his plate.

"Hey, Murray, thanks for cooking breakfast," said Cody.

"Oh, sure thing, Cody!" enthused Murray. "Oh, and I spoke with Lieutenant Quinlan this morning. He said that Domingo has agreed to testify against Diego Alvarez."

"Wow." Cody took a sip of orange juice.

"It all worked out in the end." Nick drizzled syrup on his pancake and cut into it with his fork, taking a bite left-handed. His elbow jostled against Cody's. "Hey, this is great, Tiffany, thanks."

"You wouldn't believe the antiquated system they were using," said Murray, rearranging the bacon in the skillet with a spatula. "Tiffany and I were astonished that they hadn't switched over from the delayed interset modification drives to the new pattern subset drives."

"Can you imagine?" said Tiffany, giggling.

"Uh, no, I can't. Nick, can you imagine?"

"Crazy talk, man." He took another bite of his pancake.

"Pancake?" said Tiffany.

"Yeah, that'd be great," said Cody. She flipped one onto his plate expertly. He poured syrup on and took a bite.

"You know, sometimes I have pancakes for dinner," she said. She smiled brightly. "I did a project where I researched two-dimensional foods. Well, perhaps it isn't wholly two-dimensional, but there is a flat array generator—"

"Wow!" said Murray. "Did you develop a topographical marker study for that?"

She turned to the stove and poured more batter into the skillet. "I did! You wouldn't believe the nascent parabolic curve involved..."

"I bet they talk like this for hours," whispered Cody to Nick.

"More like days," answered Nick, spearing another bite of pancake.

"I thought we'd take it easy today," continued Cody quietly. "You know, grill a steak, watch the water."

"You're playing my song." Nick took a sip of orange juice.

"Bacon?" asked Murray, bringing the pan to the table.

"Aren't you guys going to eat?" asked Cody.

"Oh, we already ate, we got here ages ago." Murray put a few pieces of bacon on Cody's plate. "And then we're going to a seminar hosted by the Belgian Robotics Society. It should be totally boss! Do you guys want to come?"

"Uh, I think Nick should stay off his feet for awhile," said Cody quickly. "And I want to stick around in case he needs anything."

"Of course," said Murray. "I didn't even think about that! I'm sorry, Nick."

"No problem, Murray. Knock yourselves out." Nick snagged a piece of bacon from Cody's plate.

"Speaking of that seminar, Murray, we should get going," said Tiffany, looking at her watch. She pressed a few buttons and it beeped.

"Yes, of course, my sweet!" said Murray, taking her hand and kissing it. "You guys don't mind if we leave the dishes, do you?"

"No, Murray, not at all," said Cody. "Have a great time."

"After you, my dear!" said Murray, letting Tiffany lead the way out of the galley. "Bye, guys!"

"Bye," they called out together. Their footsteps receded, and Cody and Nick looked at each other before Cody picked up a piece of bacon and ate it in three bites.

"Steak dinner, huh? View of the ocean?" said Nick, smiling. "Making it a date night, huh?"

"They'll be talking robotics until tomorrow morning," said Cody. He looked at Nick's pale face, the way he held his arm to his side. "It's less of a date and more of a desperate move on my part to get you to not jump on another car today."

Nick laughed and then winced. "Yeah, well, it's your lucky day. I don't have any spectacular leaping maneuvers planned."

"Good." Cody stroked his arm. "First things first. I'd like to reacquaint you with a bag of frozen peas."

"Knew you'd say that." Nick kissed him, tasting of syrup and coffee.

Cody returned the kiss, gentle and light, his hand caressing the back of Nick's neck. "Gotta look after you, partner."

"Yeah. Love you too." Nick leaned against him, looking tired but contented.

Cody kissed his temple. "Always."


End file.
